If you are a non-EEA national studying in the UK and you wish to travel to Europe for a study trip (e.g. a field trip) or for tourism purposes, then you may need to apply for a Schengen visa. Not all nationals need a Schengen visa to enter the Schengen zone for 90 days or less. You can find who needs a Schengen visa on the Europa website.
Schengen visas permit you to travel to the Schengen area for a maximum of 90 days in a 6 month period.
You will need to provide evidence from the university that you are studying here as part of your Schengen visa application. You can download a ‘Confirmation of Student Studies letter’ from the self-service letters section of your My Brighton account. Alternatively if you need the letter to be addressed to a particular embassy, please contact us on studentadministration@brighton.ac.uk for a letter confirming you are enrolled as a student. Please note that ‘No Objection Letters’ are not required for Schengen visas and the university will therefore not be able to provide a letter confirming you have permission to travel or that there is no objection to your travel. However, a letter confirming details of your study at the university are usually sufficient proof that you are a student for the purpose of applying for a Schengen visa.
It is your responsibility to check that the purpose of your trip is covered by applying for a Schengen visa, for example, if you are working or going to study on a course, you may need to apply for a different type of visa. The university’s immigration advisers are experts on UK immigration matters, but cannot give you substantive advice on visas for other countries.
If you will be travelling to more than one Schengen country during your trip you should apply for your Schengen visa for the country where you will be spending the most time. If you will be spending an equal amount of time in each country, you should apply to the country where you will be travelling to first.
You can apply for a Schengen visa using these embassy websites:
These are the most common countries for which students need Schengen visas. You will find a list of the documentation and requirements on the country specific websites. If you have a UK visa or biometric residence permit (BRP) it must be valid for at least 3 months after your intended date of leaving the Schengen area. E.g. if your visa expires on 10 October 2022, you must be leaving Schengen by 10 July 2022.
When you are there: Please make sure you are very careful with your possessions and in particular your passport and BRP whilst abroad. Unfortunately it is quite common for BRPs to be lost and stolen whilst abroad which then creates difficulties for returning to the UK. Make sure you have copies and scans of your passport and BRP and contact us if you have any difficulties.
For further advice and information on applying for a Schengen visa, including to other countries not listed above, visit the UKCISA website.